Device for filing cards and the like



DEVICE FOR FILING CARDS AND THE LIKI] Filed May 11, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheetl Ira/e 21 0 2". J'ohn TC Qug'lfy. W

ha fliforzzeys.

was June 14, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

JONN T. QUIGLEY, 01 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DEVICE FOR FILING CARDS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed Kay 11, 1925. Serial No. 29,418.

This invention relates chiefly to movable ings or slots in the lowerportion thereof partition plates or followers and associated parts foruse in card and document filing and in receptacles, racks and shelvesfor books, magazines, papers, packages and pieces of merchandise, andthe like.

The object of the invention is to increase the capacity,-usefulness andeconomy of receptacles for filing and similar usesby providing means forreadily making transverse divisions of the cards or contents into aplurality of separate groups of any desired size, which dividing meansmay be adjusted readily from place to place in the receptacle withoutremoval of any of the other contents thereof; and further to provide insuch equipment a dividing means which will occupy no appreciable amountof the storage space in the receptacle and which, with its attachments,may be placed in or entirely removed from a receptacle without fasteningit thereto; and which costs less than the filing drawer follower andattachments in.

common use.

In this invention there is combined, with a base, or a bottom of a plainfiling drawer, means for holding and grouping the cards or othercontents, which is notfastened to nor held by the base or filing drawerbut which is readil insertible in place and removable there rom. Hencesaid holding and grouping means-is not made as a part of the drawer butcan be added as desired to any lain drawer, shelf,table or the like.

One eature of the invention is the combination with one or moreelongated guards or stri s, adapted to lie loosely on a base or theottom of a filing drawer, of vertical followers or separating deviceshaving a lower forwardly extending projecting or horizontal 'portionwhich the guards overlie, whereby said portion can be thrust under thecards or drawer contents and that will by the lower edges of the cards,and the weight of the cards will come upon such lower projection of thefollower and the follower be thus held frict ionally in lace and yet beslidable into the desired posltion.

Another feature of this invention is the combination with" such guard orguards of partition followers having one or more openarranged so thefollower can be readily combined with or removed from the guards withoutremoving them or the cards thereon.

Another feature .of the invention consists in makin the horizontal andvertical portions of t e followers alike so that it is immaterial whichportion of the follower is placed under the guards and which extendsabove; and also in providing relatively high openings in the followersfor the guards so that the guards may rise in the apertures if necessaryto accommodate the bottom portions of the followers as the are adjusted.

The foregoing and other eatures of this invention will be understoodfrom the ac,- companying drawings and the following description andclaims.

To illustrate one embodiment of this invention there is shown in thedrawings herespective view of a guar -reta1ning or follower constitutinga part of this invention; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a partitionfollower; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the elongated guards;Fig. 5 is a lan view of the lain drawer shown in ig. 1 provided with theparts shown in Figs. 2 and 4 placed therein; Fig. 6 is a plan view ofanother card drawer than what is shown in Fig 5 and with artitionfollowers added; ig. 7 is a p anview of the central portion of Fig. 6showing two partition followers in position for being inserted in placein the drawer; Fig. -8 is a central vertical section through Fig. 6 withcards therein; Fig. 9 is a central vertical section through a portion ofa card filing drawer with cards therein showin the result of movement ofa follower a ong and under the guards and cards associated therewith forbringing the cards into acompact mass; Fig. 10 is a section similar tothat shown-in Fig. 9 with *two followers suporti ng cards and so closetogetherthat their bottoms overlap; -Fig. 11 is a section similar to theright hand portion of Fig. 8. with a modified arrangement ofthefollowers and cards; Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a modified formof partition follower.

For explaining the general nature of the invention, there is as shown inFig.1 of the drawings; a plain card filing drawer having a bottom 10,sides 11, front end '12, and rear, end 13. There are no followers in thedrawer as shown in Fig. 1, nor any means secured thereto for holding thefollowers. The followersand follower holding means herein shownconstitute a complete card holding device which can be placed on a shelfor base or in adrawer acording to the desired requirements of use.

There are two kinds of followers, guardretaining followers 15 andpartition followers 16. These are preferably, but not necessarily, madeof an oblong piece of thin metal bent lengthwise through its center soas to form two identical or similar halves or portions and when in useone portion of the guardretaining follower is called a projecting orbottom portion 115 and the other called a vertical or separating portion215, and one portion of the partition follower is called a bottomportion 116 and the other a vertical portion 216. When said portions aresimilar it is immaterial which of them is at any time the bottom portionand which is the vertical portion. At the bend of the metal platebetween the two portions of the guard-retaining follower 15 there aretwo openings 17, as seen in Fig. 2, through which the guards 18 mayloosely extend when the parts are assembled. The guards protect thelower edges of the cards and the lower portions of the followers frominterference when either are moved. In the partition follower 16 it isnecessary that at each end thereof a portion of the materialintermediatethe sides shall be narrower than is its width adjacent toone or both of the side edges, and a part of each end of the partitionfollower, preferably including the fold, is cut away or it is recessedas shown by the openings or open end notches 19 at the bend between thetwo portions 116 and 216, the inside wall of which openings are locatedthe same distances apart as are the inside walls of the openings 17 inthe guardretaining follower. The length of the guardretaining followeris almost as great as the width of the filing drawer 10, while thelength of the partition follower may be less.

There are preferably two guards 18,

shown, and they are made of metal, preferably, so that they will beflexible, and their length is substantially the same as the internallength of the filing drawer, and their ends are held in place by theguardretaining followers. The partition follower plates 16 are bent sothat the two portions will be at a right angle to each other, while theguard-retaining followers 15 are bent to an obtuse angle between theportions thereof somewhat exceeding ninety degrees as a means forholding the guards against lateral displacement and for limiting theirvertical movement. Also the guard-retaining followers are preferablyprovided with recesses 20 in the edges thereof to afford a finger holdfor grasping and moving them when in the filing drawer.

In this invention, besides the filing drawer, there are only three kindsof parts, the guard-retaining follower '15, the partition follower 16,and the guard 18; and in many uses of this invention only theguard-retaining follower 15 and the guard 18 are re quired. Allguard-retaining followers are alike and likewise all partition followersare alike, and the guards are alike in any particular construction; andalthough a filing drawer is shown herein, the invention may be combinedwith merely a base or a shelf or any other support for the followers andguards.

In assembling the equipment constituting this invention twoguard-retaining followers 15 having a width adapted to the width of thedrawer or other receptacle are placed loosely in the drawer orreceptacle, one at each end thereof with the outside face or back of oneguard-retaining follower against one end wall of the drawer orreceptacle and with the outside face or back of the otherguard-retaining follower against the other cndwall thereof, as shown inFigs. 5, (5 and 7. Then preferably two guards 18, having a lengthapproximating the inside length of the drawer or receptacle, are placedloosely on the bottom or base thereof with their ends projecting looselythrough the apertures 17 of the guardu'etaining followers. Since theguard-retaining followers are at an angle exceeding ninety degrees itwill be observed that the ends of the guards extend through andappreciably beyond the followers to the end walls of the drawer orreceptacle. This is to insure that these parts will retain theirrespective positions.

The foregoing completes the invention in the form shown in Fig. 5, whichis the simplest form thereof, and in that form the device is adapted forreceiving one group of cards 21 and index cards 22. The group of cardsmay be of any size because either guard-retaining follower can beslipped one way or the other to adjust them to a small or large group ofcards. If, however, the device is intended for more than one grou ofcards, or contents, more than two guarclretaining followers may be used,the number used being dependent upon the number of groups.

But preferably when there is more than one group of cards, only one pairof guardretaining followers 15 is used and partition followers 16 areemployed, as shown in Figs.

6 and 8. The advantage of the partition followers 16 is that they arereadily insertible and removable without disturbing the guard-retainingfollowers or the guards 18 or the card contents of the device, and theycan be inserted or removed therefrom at. any point in the drawer. Thepartition follower 16 is inserted by making an opening at the properpoint in the file by pushing the cards aside and exposin a sufficientlength of the underlying guarrs 18. The guards, if desired, may then beraised somewhat from the bottom by moving the closestguar(.l-1'etaini11g follower 15 forward and tilting it slightly, wherebythe guard and the card contents of the file resting thereon will belifted. Then one portion of the partition follower 16 may be placed onthe bottom of the drawer or receptacle between the guards and the endsthereof easily slipped under the guards by turning the partition ineither direction, as shown in Fig. 7, until the partition followersextend transversely of the drawer as shown in Fig. 6. \Vhen thepartition follower is in its transverse position the guards will rest inI the notches 19 in the follower, as shown, and

will overlie the ends of the bottom portion of the partition follower.

After the .partition'follower has been inserted it can be thrust underthe cards to any desired position, and in such movement the guards willprevent interference between the lower edges of the cards and theadvancing edge of the follower. If desired a large number of thesepartition followers may be employed, so as to enable one drawer toaccommodate several groups of cards and each group separatefrom theothers. However, the groups of cards may be brou ht up solidly againsteach other, for the ollowers are made of thin metal plates and thereforeeach of them takes up no more room than a card. Likewise the followersmay be separated from each other, so that the cards between them may beloose or inclined, for the ards 18 bearing on the bottom portion 0 eachfollower hold the follower in position. This is due to the frictionbetween the bottom portion of the follower and the drawer bottom or thebase below it and the guards 18 above it. The weight of the cardsgreatly aids in increasing such friction for holding the followers inplace. An efiicient guard 18 is made of steel strips from seven to tenoneth0usandths of an inch thick. In the use of a guard 18 of such thinmaterial the natural subsidence of all kinds of paper articles undersuch conditions distributes substantially over the entire surface of thefollower (115 or 116) the weight and consequent friction of the cardsabove it, and this weight also increases greatly the friction betweenthe bottom of the followers and the bottom of the receptacle and theguards as they are superinto allow one end of the partition to beturnedunder the guard 18 and out of engagement therewith as indicated in'Fig.7. Likewise the partition follower may be reversed in the same manner byturning it in its place. without raising it from the bottom of thereceptacle or disengaging it from the guide strips, or removing thecards or contents or anything else. The bottom of the partition followerpreferably under the cards, but it"may be use in the reversed position;and the lower portions of two followers may overlap as in Fi 10. Anumber of followers may be nestev and left in the receptacle'when not inuse.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated the operation when a partition followeris being moved against the cards to shift or sol'idif them and it. showsthat the cards are al supported by the guard strips and that the latterbend so as to permit the bottom portion of thefollower to moveunderthem.

In Fig. 10 there are shown two partition followers with their bottomportions overlapping and the guard strips lying upon them and supportingthe cards out of interference with the bottom portions of the followers.

In liig. 11 there are shown followers in position to hold cards ininclined position rojects v for easy reading and the group of cards liesagainst one portion. but it is effectively held in position regardlessof the pressure against it. In the middle of Fig. 11 two artitionfollowers face the same way and old a group of cards verticall betweenthem. These figures show wide a aptability of the invention in actualuse.

In Fig. 12 there is shown a modified form of partition follower 16 butinstead of the openings or notches 19 at the juncture of the twoportions they are in the ends of one of the portions at 119. When suchfollower is in the position shown, the guard strips overlie the portion116, but when portion 216 is the bottom, the guard strips extend underthe edge of portion 116 and through the openings 119 and over theprojections 316.

Obviously the guard-retaining followers 15 may be used independently ofthe partition followers 16. If desired the entire contents of a drawermay be lifted up and removed, including'the cards, by pressing the twoend guard-retaining followers towards each other against the cardsbetween them at the time the whole is being lifted.

iii

' tinguished from a portion extending rearwardly or from the cards orcontents. In the former the weight of the cards and the like acts tohold the follower upright and in adjusted position, while in the latterform the cards and the like tend to overthrow the'follower. But, asstated, the follower can be reversed in use if desired, or one followermay have its lower projection forward and the adjacent follower itslower projection rearward.

By guard as used herein, is meant broadly means for preventinginterference between the advancing edges of the horizontal portion ofthe follower and the lower edges of the cards and the like during suchmovement of the follower. Preferably the guard is elongated and thin andresilient and overlies the horizontal portion of the follower for thereasons above stated.

The invention claimed. is:

1. A device for holding cards and the like including an elongatedresilient guard strip adapted to lie loosely upon a support, and uponwhich the cards and the like may be placed, and a follower having avertical portion and a horizontal forwardly extending portion insertibleand removable from beneath the guard strip at any point without itsremoval.

2. A device for holding cards and the like, including a pair of parallelelongated resilient guard stri s adapted to lie loosely upon a supportand upon which cards and the like may be placed, and followers, eachhaving avertical portion and a horizontal portion, said horizontalportion of the follower being transversely longer and a connectionbetween the vertical and horizontal portions of the follower beingtransversely shorter than the distance between the guard strips, wherebyeach follower may be turned end for end while lying beneath the guardstrips and be removed without displacing the guard strips.

3. A device for holding cards and the like including a box having abottom and ends, an elongated resilient guard strip adapted to lieloosely upon the bottom of the box and as long as the inside of the boxand upon which cards and the like may be placed, and end followershaving a vertical portion and a horizontal portion with openings betweensaid portions through which the end of the guard strip extends, theangle between the horizontal and vertical portions including anelongated resilient guard adapted to lie loosely on a support and uponwhich the cards and the like may be placed, and a follower havinghorizontal and vertical portions with an opening therein at the junctionof said portions through which the guard loosely extends and so as tooverlie the horizontal portion of the followers, said opening in thefollower extending sufficiently high in the portions thereof to permitvertical movement of said guard therein, and the followers having thesame angle between the two portions thereof whereby they are reversibleand may be nested.

5; A device for holding cards and the like including an elongatedresilient guard adapted to lie loosely on a board or the like and uponwhich the cards and the like may be placed, and a follower havinghorizontal and vertical portions with a slotted opening therein at theangle between said portions and extending into both portions whichenables the follower to slidably interen age with the guard while inplace on said ase and be removable therefrom without removing the 6. Aevice for holding cards and the like including a plurality of parallelresilient guards adapted to lie loosely on a base and upon which thecards and the like may be placed, and a follower having horizontal andvertical portions with a slotted openin in each end thereof at the anglebetween sai portions which enables the horizontal portion of thefollower to be slipped under and removed from and to interengage withthe guards at any point while in place and without removal from thebase.

7. A device for holding cards and the like, including a bottom support,a follower havinga forwardly projecting portion adapted tobe thrustbetween the cards and the like and the bottom support of the follower,and a resilient guard strip ada ted to rest loosely on said support andlie tween the cards and the like and the projecting portion of saidfollower, whereby the lower edges of the cards will not interfere withsaid movement of the follower.

8. A device for holdin cards and the like including a plurality 0parallel resilient guards adapted to lieloosely upon the support, meansfor holding said resilient guards ard strip or the cards and the like.

IOU

from lateral dis lacement, and partition followers having orizontal andvertical portions with a notch in each end of each follower, whereby thehorizontal portion of-the follower can be slipped under the g'uu'dflwhile in place and the guards extend loosely through said notches andrest on the horizontal portions thereof, and the followers can beremoved without removing the guards or contents.

9. A device for holding cards and the like including a plurality ofparallel resilient guards adapted to lie-loosely on a support,guard-holding followers having horizontal and vertical portions withapertures through the same at the juncture of said portions and extendininto both portions through which the guards loosel extend, and partitionfollowers having horizontal and vertical portions with a notch in eachend of each follower, so the distance between said notches will equalthe distance between the apertures in the guard holding followers,whereb thehorizontal portion of each partition fol ower can be slippedunder or-removed from the guards and the guards extend loosely throu hsaid notches and rest on the honzonta portions of the partitionfollowers.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto afiixed m si ature.

y gn JOHN T. QUIGLEY.

